Skip to main content

Desired of All Nations?

I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. (Haggai 2:7)



       The Zondervan commentary for this verse says that there is some debate about "desired of all nations will come" because "the desired" is singular, and "will come" is plural. It could be a reference to the Messiah, who will come or it could be a reference to desired things that will come. It goes further to say that "fill this house with glory" tilts the interpretation toward the Messiah. 
          Is the Messiah desired of all nations? If that were so, wouldn't there be many times more Christians? This is one of those verses that seems to cry out for further consideration. Do the nations desire the Messiah? The answers are "no" and "yes." People don't want to be told what to do especially if it's not what they want to do. At the same time, American elections and America's response to politicians are perfect examples of how deeply we want a Messiah. We want the knight in shining armor to fix everything so that we can live happily ever after. We don't want him to stay because he makes us very aware of how imperfect we are by comparison. We want him on retainer.
        America's not the only people like this. It's human nature both singly and collectively to desire a messiah. It's also human nature to resent him. What we need to remember, however, is that all we desire will be found in Him and in no other.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more